Great Ormond Steet surgeon who botched operations harmed almost 100 youngsters, report finds
A Great Ormond Street Hospital orthopaedic surgeon who botched operations injured almost 136 children, a report has revealed.
Some 36 of Yaser Jabbar’s victims suffered severe harm, a report published by his hospital has concluded.
Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) released a review on Thursday into the actions of Yaser Jabbar, who treated hundreds of children from 2017 to 2022.
Some 36 children suffered severe harm while under the care of the surgeon, who worked on lower limb reconstruction.
A further 39 patients came to moderate harm and 19 patients came to mild harm.
The study also reported that 642 patients did not come to harm that could be attributable to the surgeon.
Mr Jabbar is understood to live abroad and no longer has a licence to practise medicine in the UK.
Children suffered chronic pain, deformities, permanent nerve damage and even an amputation after being operated on by the disgraced NHS surgeon.
Yaser Jabbar, 43, treated 721 children at London ‘s Great Ormond Street Hospital, leaving some with serious injuries, different leg lengths and even requiring amputation
Other patients have been left with drop foot – a debilitating condition where the foot cannot be pulled up and the sufferer must bring their leg up high when walking to avoid tripping over.
Some found themselves living with legs of different lengths by up to 20cm after going under Jabbar’s knife.
GOSH ordered a review by independent experts into the care of 721 patients who passed through Jabbar at the hospital.
A further 68 cases were later uncovered, bringing the total to 789.
Jabbar harmed between 85 and 100 children, the trust confirmed.
At least 32 of those suffered severe harm, meaning potentially lifelong deformities or chronic pain, 36 were left with moderate harm, and 18 cases were mild.
However, some families of the children who feature in the report have criticised it, and claimed that a ‘cover-up culture’ will obscure the truth.
Some accuse GOSH of ‘failing their children’, while others claimed the report – by external surgeons using patient notes – would leave more questions than answers.
Jabbar stopped treating patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital (pictured) in London in 2022 before leaving the hospital the following year
One mother told the BBC last month: ‘Mr Jabbar was known for not writing up records or keeping notes correctly, but these reviews have been based on hospital notes.
‘My daughter’s report doesn’t reflect her journey at all.’
Jabbar stopped treating patients at the world-renowned hospital in 2022 after concerns were raised about his work.
He left GOSH in 2023 after a report by the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) found some surgeries had been ‘inappropriate’ and ‘incorrect’.
Jabbar subsequently moved to Dubai, where he continued to operate and claimed to be one of the most sought-after doctors in his field.
However, after the Daily Mail’s revelations, he was ditched as a speaker by a major conference and removed from hospitals websites that had celebrated him.
Following the 2023 review, GOSH promised that each of Jabbar’s patients would receive and independent report to conclude what level of harm they suffered at his hands.
A spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital said earlier this month: ‘We are deeply sorry to all the children, young people and their families who have been affected by the actions of a surgeon working at GOSH between 2017 and 2022.
Dean Stalham’s daughter, six-year-old Bunty, underwent a number of operations of a 15-month period which all failed, leaving her in agony and taking strong pain relief for months
‘We have reviewed the care of every single child involved and our report will be shared with families this month before it is made public.’
One parent unhappy with the outcome of the reports into their child’s care was Dean Stalham, whose daughter Bunty was born with a rare bone disease which caused her left tibia to be bowed and short.
She had a genetic condition causing tumors to grow on her nerves.
Over a 15-month period, Bunty underwent a number of operations which all failed, leaving her in agony and taking strong pain relief for months.
Bunty finally had a below-knee amputation in May 2020 despite undergoing all the surgeries carried out by Jabbar, which included bone grafting, limb lengthening of the tibia and the use of frames.
In Bunty’s report, the physical impact on her was deemed ‘moderate’ – but her father told the BBC it was ‘simply wrong’.
He said the report claimed she underwent six operations – but he said the figure was actually 10.
‘Not a single one of Bunty’s surgeries worked, and none of them were of any benefit to her whatsoever,’ he told the BBC.
‘When they were trying to lengthen her leg they ended up shortening it by about eight inches.’
